


Everyday Magic

by AceLucky



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Afternoon Tea, Eventual Romance, Flowery language warning, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Holding Hands, Kissing, Magic, Multi, Nostalgia, Plants, Reader-Insert, Romance, Sharing, Slow kissing, cheese alert, gender neutral reader, gloved hands, too poetic probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 20:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18239657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceLucky/pseuds/AceLucky
Summary: Whilst on an errand for Dutch in Saint Denis, Trelawny decides to take the reader to a giant greenhouse/plant exhibit (based on the small one that is in the game). Whilst in the greenhouse, they marvel at the plants and Trelawny talks a little of home and where he learnt his tricks. The reader and Trelawny bond over this and share a romantic moment.





	Everyday Magic

**Author's Note:**

> (a/n - We know Trelawny is from Cornwall, England, though he remembers nothing of it. Apart from that we know he moves to America ‘eventually’. In this fic, Trelawny discusses memories relating to two locations in London, as well as a few vague memories of Cornwall (hello artistic license) I just love the idea of him adoring plants and also talking about home with someone he feels a connection to? The locations he refers to are places I love, one is Crystal Palace/the gardens, the second is Richmond - it’s very close to my heart. So in a way this is a little self indulgent, but I think he’d of liked those places. I also apologise if I’ve repeated several words/phrases, I’ve re-read several times and think I’ve got it covered…)

You marvelled at the plants, there were so many you had never seen before in real life, in books yes, perhaps, but to see so many and under one glass roof seemed just incredible to you in that moment. The light streamed through the conservatory roof, bringing out the colours and highlighting the many plants within the greenhouse. In particular rays of light were cast at the centre of the room and landing on a giant indoor pond full of lilies and koi carp.

You sat on the wall around the pond for a moment, watching the flashes of gold dart and disappear in the shadows of the lilies. You dipped your finger tips into the water, disrupting the shimmering surface. 

The sun was so warm on your face and for a second you closed your eyes, focusing instead on what you could smell and feel with the sense of sight concealed. When you opened your eyes and saw no one was paying you any attention you stood and spun on the spot, overwhelmed by the colours, scents and sheer magnitude of the collection. 

This was the last place you’d imagined you’d be today, Dutch had sent Trelawny into Saint Denis to pick up a few ‘important’ items as he’d called them. He’d suggested he take a member of the gang with him, which led to him suggesting you. In a way you were relieved to be able to leave Shady Belle, but at the same time, you were annoyed that you rarely got to go on the more dangerous or interesting missions. Instead being sent with Trelawny on an errand, was slightly humiliating, but now that you were here you were glad you agreed.

Trelawny had been delighting your ears with tales of England and home since you set off and promised to take you somewhere nice for lunch. You didn’t know him overly well, the two of you would chat politely when he was in camp and he’d performed a few card tricks for you which always had to you clapping your hands gleefully, the man truly was a marvel. But you’d never really gotten the chance to know him.

Now, as you watched him observe others, as you saw how much care he took when touching the plants, a new fondness for the conman grew within your chest and you felt it swell, unexpectedly with, was that pride?

Watching him touch certain plants made you wish to do the same, you wondered about the texture of them, people were always talking about being closer to nature weren’t the? You noted Trelawny had taken his gloves off to touch the plants, something you rarely saw him do. You ran your hands delicately over one of the palms, squeezing it between your fingers and running your finger along the leaf to the stem. A bright orange flower, curious in appearance, took your fancy then, just as you were about to touch it you heard a familiar voice. 

“Ahhh my dear you don’t want to do that, poisonous you know?” Trelawny took your hand in his now gloved hand and gently rubbed your knuckles. 

You found yourself blushing under his watchful eye. 

“This place is beautiful,” you sighed as you looked up, watching the cumulous clouds through the roof. 

Trelawny smiled, happy that you were enjoying something that was clearly so important to him. 

“Now, I have some unfinished business to take care of,” he motioned behind him where there were a group of men, appearing somewhat irritated by the interruption of your carelessness. “I shan’t be long, and when I’m done, we’ll get some lunch and I’m all yours.” He kissed your knuckles and then placed your hands by your side.

The way he spoke to you stirred something inside you that you didn’t know was there, you tried to crush the feeling and walked along a path to another section of the greenhouse. In front of you were numerous succulent plants and cacti, it seemed incredible to you then that they came in so many different shapes and styles for the same type of plant. 

You sat for another five minutes waiting for Trelawny to be yours again, it was nice in a way, to escape the camp and the others for a moment. So rare were the moments when you felt you could actually breathe that you wanted to take advantage of this time. 

You remembered discussing orchids when you were younger and recalled that there was one that looked like an egret, another a bumblebee, you wondered if Trelawny had heard of these.

You looked over your shoulder at Trelawny and saw him shaking hands with the men he had been speaking to. You stood up and went to ask whether he had ever seen such orchids as there was a part of you that thought they were perhaps made up by gardening enthusiasts to show off.

But when you looked at him you found yourself unable to interrupt what was clearly such a perfect moment for the magician. Now the others were absent, Trelawny was stood, one hand gently cupping the petals of a giant bloom, his nose was pressed so close to the flower that had a bee been there it surely would have stung him. His eyes were closed, his face seemed to light up as he inhaled the scent, his lips curling into a smile as he gave a contented sigh.

You found yourself smiling as you watched his reaction to the flower, there was so much care in the way he held it and such love written all over his face. You wondered how a gentleman as seemingly good and pure as he had ended up involved with the Van der Linde gang, but then again, you knew others had said the same to you. You guessed no one was truly good or bad, yourself and Charles had shared several conversations of this nature round the campfire late at night. 

Sometimes bad things happened to good people and good things to bad. Something about Trelawny made you feel more sure of yourself and your place in the gang, after all you were all just trying to get by, to do your best and enjoy the short life that was given to you.

Trelawny had moved onto another plant now and was observing it’s flowers, he watched curiously as a bee flew from one bloom to another, his head craned to watch the small insect feed. 

He sneezed all of a sudden, making you jump. He turned back round and saw you watching him, he motioned for you to come join him by his side, you complied readily.

“Ahhh my dear, the perils of being allergic to some flowers and loving them so!” It amazed you how a man confessing to an aliment could seem so cheerful in the presence of it. 

You didn’t know how to respond to his but he appeared to be waiting for you to say something, “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before, it’s beautiful.”

Trelawny smiled at you and patted you on the back, almost cautiously incase the attention was unwanted, “My dear you should see some of the gardens and greenhouses in England!” He exclaimed.

“Are they are beautiful as this?”

“Even more so…” his eyes looked beyond you then and he seemed almost sad, “There’s this beautiful place in London, Crystal Palace it’s called.”

“Is there a palace made out of crystal?” You asked, feeling silly for your question the moment you said it. 

He smiled and took you by the hands again, his were still gloved, the soft leather felt so comforting against your skin, combined with the smell of flowers and the warm sun against your face, you felt the happiest and most relaxed that you had in weeks.

“I had planned on taking you somewhere else for a spot of lunch, but see now we’re here there’s a lovely tea room, how would you like that?”

You nodded eagerly, it would be a nice break from the usual saloon food and Pearson’s stew.

The two of you walked, arms linked, into the tea room where a waiter showed you to your table, it was one right by another, smaller pond.

Trelawny pulled a white ornate chair out for you, after you’d sat down, he opened a napkin and laid it across your lap. You thanked him for his curtesy as he sat down opposite you.

In the centre of the table there was a glass vase with a single pink carnation in the middle. It was only once you were sat that you realised this felt more like a date than anything, not that you minded, in fact you felt yourself silly for thinking so. You were just two friends…colleagues even on a little business, that was all there was to it, and yet the way Trelawny looked at you. 

“I can’t believe I haven’t been here before!” You confessed in an attempt to strike up conversation again.

Trelawny smiled, removed his gloves slowly and laid them down on the table one on top of the other. “For such a large collection of buildings, it is rather a hidden gem!”

“Maybe that’s for the best, better when it’s quiet.”

Trelawny smiled and nodded, “My dear you are quite right!”

A waiter approached your table to take your order.

“Lemonade,” you replied shyly, “Please…”

“I shall have the same as the ‘lady/gentleman’ and a pot of Earl Grey tea for two.”

“Of course sir,” the waiter replied, “And to eat?”

Trelawny looked at you, you hadn’t even glanced over the menu and panicked for a second, picking the first thing that took your fancy, “The soup would be lovely, thank you.”

The waiter nodded and looked across at Trelawny, “Make that two.” 

Trelawny sighed, “Fresh lemonade and earl grey tea, just like being back home,” he said with a sad smile.

You reached across the table and gave one of his hands a brief squeeze, “What was home like?”

Trelawny stared off into the distance for a moment, a sorrow seemed to cloud his face. 

“I was born in Cornwall, I remember little of it, just the smell of the salt in the air, waves crashing against rocks, a kind of feeling I haven’t experienced anywhere else, witches tales…legends. King Arthur’s castle.”

It took a moment for you to register what he’d just said, “King Arthur?” You raised your eyebrows, “The King Arthur.”

“A legend true my dear, but legends must come from somewhere do you not think?”

You thought on his question for a moment and then nodded, “Yes, I can see that.”

Trelawny smiled, “There’s a castle on a cliff in a magical place called Tintagel, they think it’s the most likely location for where the legend came from…”

“You shall have to tell Jack,” you added. 

Trelawny smiled, “Yes, do remind me.”

Just then the waiter appeared with your drinks, Trelawny turned over your tea cup for you and stirred the pot before letting it rest for a moment. 

“Then there was London before I came here… The Crystal Palace gardens were magnificent, still are I’m sure.”

“I’d love to see them,” you mused.

Trelawny’s face lit up, “I haven’t even told you the best part yet!”

“Ohhh?”

“There’s a boating lake and the Palace as I mentioned before, but more than that, there’s these giant models of dinosaurs and other extinct species!”

You thought about it for a moment, you’d seen a few pictures of dinosaurs and thought they looked both terrifying and wonderful, “That must have been quite the thing to witness!”

Trelawny was positively beaming as he talked about him, and clasped his hands together, “It was a wonder, a wonder I tell you! I had never seen something so beautiful and frightening in all my life! They really were something to marvel at, stood at over 12 feet tall some of them! People would come from far and wide to see them if you’ll believe it! You could walk round the park admiring them and then go on the boating lake. Fun for all the family as the billboards described it.”

You smiled fondly at him, the way he told his stories, you could picture everything as if you yourself were in his world for a moment. Your eyes never left his when he spoke and you could have listened to him for days on end, all that charm you thought, no wonder he’s such a great con artist. 

“Was it in London where you learnt to do magic?” 

He nodded and sipped his lemonade, you followed suite, having forgotten for a moment it was there, “Yes, in a town called Richmond. It’s South of London, it’s wild, untamed, full of deer and stags. J M W Turner, the impressionist lived in a building overlooking it. It wasn’t hard to see where he got his inspiration from, to bring worlds so alive as he did.” Trelawny’s expression changed when he spoke, he was truly absorbed, enthralled by his own subject matter, it was a passion you hadn’t seen in anyone for a long time.

The food arrived then and Trelawny poured you a cup of tea. You stirred your soup absent-mindedly, it looked delicious but all the excitement of his talk had made you forget how hungry you were. Still when Trelawny had a mouthful of soup, watching you over his spoon, you did the same. It was delicious, the bread just the same, “This is better than any restaurant.” 

He nodded, “You know, I quite agree with you,” he said before dipping his bread in the soup. 

“What was London like?”

Trelawny took a sip of his tea, “The taste of home,” he sighed, “Like any large city I guess, busy, good and bad, smoke…but the parks were something else.” He inhaled deeply through his nose as if smelling something that was invisible.

“Sorry you were saying about Richmond Park?” You took a sip the tea, Earl Grey wasn’t something you’d had before, you noticed Trelawny had it with a splash of milk so you copied him, you found it rather pleasant. 

Trelawny gave a sad smile, “Sorry yes, I would visit there with old friends, magicians… Several handsome men and beautiful ladies too, it seemed to me to be the perfect first date location.”

You smiled, “And that’s where you learnt magic.”

“Precisely! Well in a pub outside the park anyway,” he tapped the side of his nose and you found yourself giggling. 

“I’d have liked to see it, all of it…The crystal palace, the dinosaurs, this house Turner lived in… It all sounds so magical and unreal to me.”

“One day my dear, maybe one day you will.”

“I hope so.”

“Good gracious me,” Trelawny exclaimed suddenly, “How rude of me, talking about myself so much and asking nothing about you!” 

You waved your hand in front of your face, “I’ve loved listening to you, how about next time we come here, we talk about me?”

Trelawny nodded and picked up his cup, “I shall drink to that!”

After you’d finished eating Trelawny pulled a red silk handkerchief from his pocket and unwrapped his deck of cards. He shuffled them without a word, his face never leaving yours, “Pick a card.”

You took a moment to decide and then picked one, the 7 of hearts. You placed it back in the pack. Trelawny smiled as you joined in with his fun, shuffled the cards with such flair that you could barely keep up but found yourself so impressed by the flick of his wrist. After a minute or so he pulled a card out, turning it over to show you the card you had picked. 

You clapped your hands together, delighted at such a simple trick and yet with Trelawny it was about the execution, the expressions on his face, the pleasure he got from performing and entertaining was so endearing to you.

“You’re wonderful you know.”

You were sure you saw Trelawny blush, “Well my dear, the same could be said for you.”

This was…unexpected? But not unpleasant, in fact you found yourself endeared to him and enjoying the attention he was giving you.

Trelawny paid and tipped well, “There you go old bean, such wonderful service!”

He offered you his arm as you stood from the table, sad now that your day out together had come to such an abrupt end. But hoping that as you got on so well he wouldn’t forget it and would ask for a similar day out again soon. 

Just before you left the greenhouse you remembered a question you meant to ask him, “Orchids,” you said out of the blue, “Orchids?” He asked.

“Yes, sorry, I remember hearing about orchids in the shape of all kinds of animals, is that true?”

Trelawny started to guide you on another path away from the exit, you didn’t ask where you were going but realised he had guided you to a part of the greenhouse you had missed, full of orchids, a gentle cooling mist filled the air. 

“I believe this is what you were speaking of?” He pointed to one that looked just like a bumblebee.

“Yes! How marvellous,” you bent down to get a closer look. 

When you stood up you realised just how close Trelawny was stood to you. 

You didn’t talk about it before it happened, it just sort of did. His arm slid round your waist and you didn’t push him away, instead the two of you walked, arms round one another admiring the rest of the greenhouse, some you had missed, some you had already seen. 

He stopped you to look at a banana plant, but instead of focusing on the plant your eyes met and for a moment time froze. You just stared at each other, not realising how close your faces had been until slowly he leaned in, “I would quite like to kiss you, if that would be alright with you?”

“I…” you paused for a second, yes, yes you wanted to kiss him, you couldn’t quite explain your attraction but it was undeniable in that moment, he had charmed you without even trying.

You didn’t answer, you just leaned in, answering with actions rather than words, when your lips met for the first time he tasted like sweet lemonade. His aftershave too was rather sweet, his kisses so soft and delicate like butterfly wings against your skin. 

Trelawny pulled you into his arms and deepened the kiss, his lips now a little more frantic and wanting. Your arms wrapped around him and held him tightly. One of Trelawny’s arms remained round you while the other went up to your hair and then down to your cheek. He cupped it gently as he pulled away, both of you appearing equally as flushed as one another. 

Trelawny looked down at the floor, “I observed you spending some time perusing the succulents earlier.”

You took a step back, still blushing, your arms still loosely round him, now dropping to your side, you bit your lower lip, worried that kissing him was a mistake, “Yes, yes, they were beautiful,” you found yourself near stumbling over your words, did he not realise you’d both just kissed?

“I would love nothing more than to share with you my most beloved collection of succulents” Trelawny seemed positively enthused as he spoke with you.

You nodded, “Yes, I’d like that, I’d like that a lot.”

The two of you stood in silence for a moment, he seemed nervous, wrung his hands together as you thought of something to say. Thankfully you didn’t have to worry long as Trelawny looked up again, and somewhat sheepishly said, “They’re back at my caravan, if that’s okay?”

You laughed then from relief, you hadn’t just imagined the kiss or that he liked you, his affections seemed genuine and from the heart, it was just you were both a little shy round each other that was all. 

You smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Of course it is apart from…I can think of one thing I’d love to see more than your succulents,” the moment you said it you felt yourself flush. That. Was. Not. What. You. Meant. 

What you had meant is that you would love to take a trip to all the places he’d been talking about in London. 

Trelawny started laughing and pulled you back into his arms so quickly you felt you might fall over, but you were safe, held by him. 

He kissed you again, gently, and when he pulled away his face just lit up, “Please, call me Josiah from now on.”

“I think I can manage that Josiah,” you leant in and pressed another kiss to his lips, his gloved hands worked their way up your neck and into your hair, you felt weak under his watch, with his hands on you. 

When you left the greenhouse it was hand in hand. You noticed then that Josiah had taken off his gloves, the feeling of skin against skin warmed you and told you that his behaviour towards you hadn’t been an act, he wasn’t always a con artist, but he was terribly good at the everyday magic.


End file.
